|
|
|
|
|
Phone Tapping
Satti to continue as state BJP president for two more years
Kangra MLA now associate Cong member
Experiment to produce organic manure from apple fails
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Shanta seeks decision review
Congress to probe all ‘shady’ land deals
Tourists enjoy a horse ride after snowfall in the Solang valley on Friday. Photo: MC Thakur
Murder convict gets life term
Illegal mining goes on in Una rivulets
Illegal mining being carried out in the Swan rivulet in Una district.
CPM demands subsidised seeds for farmers
Dept removes encroachment from forest land
Kol Dam oustees continue protest
|
|
Mobile service providers to be issued notices
Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, February 22 The government is in possession of a list of about 1,100 mobile numbers which were put under surveillance by various telephone companies providing cellular services in the state. The notices are likely to be issued once forensic experts submit details of the call records from the hard disc of the computers of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy said notices would be issued to all mobile companies which had put numbers under surveillance without the requisite permission. “Once details of computers are received in the first week of March, we will issue notices to the companies, including Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited,” he said. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) can put telephones under surveillance for a longer duration only after obtaining prior permission of the Home Department. This can only be done if the person concerned is accused of involvement in an anti-national activity, drug trafficking or any other serious crime. Since the Home Department has issued the permission only in 34 cases, it is obvious that the mobile phones were put under surveillance illegally. Roy issued directions to the Home Department to get identified the 1,100 persons in whose names the telephone connections had been issued. The list of telephone numbers provided by the team of experts from the State Forensic Science Laboratory at Junga has confirmed that the Home Department gave permission only in 34 cases between 2009 and 2011. The details of the telephones that had been intercepted during 2012 by the technical cell of the CID wing are yet to be retrieved as most of those were deleted. There has been no further progress in the phone-tapping issue after Director-General of Police ID Bhandari was shifted to the insignificant Home Guards and Fire Services wing. It is being felt that further action will be taken only after the call details from the hard disc of the computers are given by the forensic experts. The recorded conversation of many high-profile persons in the four compact discs was also handed over to the government. The three-member team of forensic experts submitted the report to the Chief Secretary on February 15.
|
|
Satti to continue as state BJP president for two more years
Shimla, February 22 Satti had been made the party chief last year on February 29 after the induction of Khimi Ram into the Cabinet. With Rajnath giving him another two-year term till 2014, he will lead the party in the Lok Sabha polls due next year. “My priority will be to strengthen the party and mobilise cadres for the Lok Sabha election in 2014,” he said. He said he would soon start touring each and every mandal, starting from the Mandi Parliamentary Constituency, where elections would be held within the next four months. “My endeavour will be to ensure that the party is fully united and workers push the setback of the Assembly polls behind them and work for the victory of the party in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said. Satti said he would announce the new state BJP executive before March 15. The process of organisational elections in the state is still under way. District BJP chiefs of Solan, Sirmour, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Kullu have already been elected. “We will finish with the district chief elections in the remaining four districts of Chamba, Kangra, Mandi and Shimla by March 15, while in case of the two tribal districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti, elections will be held later,” he said. Satti, who started his political career with the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad, won Assembly elections in 2003, 2007 and 2012 from Una. He remained the Chief Parliamentary Secretary in the BJP regime. |
|
Kangra MLA now associate Cong member
Shimla, February 22 He said he had received overwhelming support of the people and he took the decision to become an associate member of the Congress to fulfil their expectations. He said he would support the Congress whole-heartedly, work for the party sincerely and ensure the expeditious development of his constituency. |
|
|
Experiment to produce organic manure from apple fails
Shimla, February 22 Vermi-composting takes around three months and the bacterial process is faster, but both methods failed. The authorities were forced to go in for bacterial composting as enough worms were not available for composting 40,000 tonne of apple. The task was assigned to Excel Industries, which specialises in solid waste management, for the supply of bacterial inoculum. While the HPMC sold the vermi-composted manure on as-is-where-is basis to earn a paltry Rs 4.25 lakh, no compost was produced under the bacterial process. They admit that the experiment has been a failure and vermi-composting of apple is not possible due to the high acid content and the low ambient temperature. The worms stay away from acidic substances and those remain sluggish at low temperatures. The company has abandoned the project. The inoculum failed to trigger off bacterial activity in fruit kept in the open in heaps. The lack of machinery for turning the fruit was a major reason for the failure. Vermi-composting is also not feasible as cow dung and straw which have to be mixed with apple in equal proportions are not available in requisite quantity. The high cost of transportation from outside the state makes composting economically unviable. The government decided to convert the rotting fruit into organic manure after it was forced to procure the highest ever 1,11,000 tonnes of fruit under the market intervention scheme. While a meagre 8,000 tonnes was processed by the HPMC and another 45,000 tonnes sold in the market, the bulk of fruit was left to rot. The HPMC tried to compost about 12,000 tonnes and HIMFED about 18,000 tonnes without success.
|
|
|
Shanta seeks decision review
Palampur, February 22 In a letter to the Chief Minister, Shanta Kumar said the government should not personalise this issue and adopt a broader approach as the yogpeeth was being set up for the extension of ayurveda and yoga in the state which would benefit thousands. He said when a number of buildings and infrastructure had already come up, there was no justification in the cancellation of land. |
|
|
Congress to probe all ‘shady’ land deals
Shimla, February 22 “We have nothing against Ramdev and he will always be welcome in the state, but the lease is null and void ab initio and bad in the eyes of law. The Congress had raised the issue and it was a part of its election agenda,” he said. The original power of attorney for executing the deed was with Balkrishan, who further authorised Lalit Mohan to sign the deed, which was illegal, he said. Further, the land could not be leased out for commercial activities like manufacturing of ayurvedic formulations as it was gifted by Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of the erstwhile princely state of Patiala to the Punjab government specifically for the benefit of children, the minister said. Land worth several crores of rupees was given on lease for 99 years for just a paltry sum of Rs 17,31,214, he said. He said once the lease was cancelled, the land had to be resumed, as the allottee had no right over it. The status of allottee would be reduced to that of an encroacher if the land was not vacated immediately and dealt with accordingly, he said. Ramdev could come forward and plead his case and the government would settle everything in accordance with law without any prejudice, he said. Kaul Singh said it was not only the question of Ramdev’s land, but also about the Dhumal government having put the state “on sale” and there were several instances of people with no ostensible source of income purchasing huge chunks of land and paying even Rs 6 to Rs 7 lakh as stamp fee. Most of such cases were in Solan district and, intriguingly some of the persons were from Hamirpur district. The government was committed to probe and expose the tentacles of the land mafia, he said. The land deal involving Prashant Bhushan was also under the scanner and legal experts were examining the aspect pertaining to the grant of permission under Section 118 and the change of land use as the land involved was a tea garden, he added.
|
|
|
Met Dept predicts rain, squall
Shimla, February 22 With a western disturbance prevailing as an upper air cyclonic circulation extending up to 4.5 km over north Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir moving eastwards, the weather will remain bad for another 48 hours. There has been a fresh spell of rain and snow in the tribal areas and the higher reaches of the state. Most parts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti received a fresh spell of snow. Vehicular traffic to the upper parts of Shimla district has also been affected due to the heavy snow. The fresh spell of cold has resulted in a further decline in temperature. The minimum temperature recorded in Shimla was 3.1°C, Sundernagar 9.1°C, Bhuntar 7.1°C, Kalpa -5.6°C, Dharamsala 8.2°C, Una 12.0°C, Saluni 2.5°C, Nahan 6.5°C, Keylong -6.1°C, Palampur 7.5°C, Solan 6.5°C and Manali 0.8°C. According to a forecast by the local Meteorological Centre, there will be cloudy sky with rain and thundershower on February 23 also. The weather will clear up only after February 24. Manali: The entire higher reaches and the upper Manali region experienced a fresh spell of snow while the lower parts of the areas were lashed by rain on Friday, bringing back cold wave conditions in the upper Kullu valley. The ski slopes of the Solang valley also experienced a fresh spell of snow. Hundreds of tourists, who arrived in Manali from the plains, made a beeline for Solang valley to enjoy snowfall. Moderate to heavy snowfall on the 14,000-ft-high Bhrighu slopes and the 12,000-ft-high Hamta ski slopes brought cheer on the faces of heli-ski lovers. The entire higher reaches surrounding the Kullu valley, including the Rohtang Pass, the Pir Panjal ranges, Marhi, Gulaba, Kothi, Dhundi and Chanderkhani Pass, experienced moderate to heavy snowfall. Kangra: Cold wave conditions continued unabated in the Kangra valley with the Dhauladhar mountain ranges and its lower foothills experiencing heavy snowfall on Friday. The inclement weather condition continued for the second day. Snowfall on Dhauladhar ranges created a cold-wave-like situation which threw life out of gear in the valley. McLeodganj, Bagsu Nag, Naddi, Jawalamukhi, Haripur, Shahpur, Dhraman, Nagrota Bagwan, Icchhi, Gaggal, Mallan, Palampur, Lanj, Dehra and Ranital experienced heavy rainfall.
|
|
Murder convict gets life term
Solan, February 22 Balbir worked at an industrial unit at Parwanoo where he had a fight with his colleague Inderjeet on January 26, 2011. Balbir attacked Inderjeet with an iron rod and the latter succumbed to his injuries. A case of murder had been registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. Balbir allegedly wanted to have a relationship with Inderjeet’s wife which led to the fight.
|
|
Illegal mining goes on in Una rivulets
Una, February 22 The fact that illegal mining is continuing in Una district is illustrated from the fact that mining officials, with the help of the local police, recently confiscated 37 tippers of sand and gravel that were containing illegally mined material from rivulets in Una district. As per mining rules, the sand and gravel can only be taken out manually from allotted mines. Not a single tipper that can carry more than 30 tonnes of sand and gravel can be filled manually in one day. The pace at which hundreds of tippers are used to take mined material outside the state every day clearly illustrates that illegal mining is being done with the help of machines in Una district. A large number of trucks and tippers are driven into Himachal Pradesh every day for sand, gravel and crushed material. Records on the number of tippers entering Una district daily can be collected from entry check posts in the district. In many cases people use rural routes to carry illegally mined material, the sources say. The Swan rivulet area along the border with Punjab from Santokhgarh is prone to illegal sand mining. The sources say the mining mafia, that reportedly enjoys the patronage of ruling party politicians, use JCB machines, which is illegal, at night to mine sand and gravel from the Swan riverbed. The sources claim that ruling party politicians control the mining trade in their respective areas. The number of stone crushers in the district also increased disproportionately during the stint of the previous government. Rivulets in Una district are rich in sand and gravel. Illegal mining an unscientific manner threatens the ecology of rivulets. Environment activists attribute the declining water table in Una district to illegal mining. Rivulets recharge the water underground. The water underground in many areas of the district is declining at a rapid pace. Many blocks in Una district are in the red zone category, indicating that the water underground has reduced at a rapid pace. The prices of sand and gravel in the district have increased three-fold in the last few years due to the increase in demand from Punjab. Local residents complain that the cost of construction in Una district has gone up due to this increase in prices. |
|
CPM demands subsidised seeds for farmers
Manali, February 22 CPM leaders Kuldip Tanvar and Dr Onkar Shad have alleged that the UPA government had failed to protect the interests of farmers and labourers in the country in its bid to liberalise economy and serve the interests of multinational companies. The CPM leaders, who were here to impart training to the party cadre, further demanded that anganwadis and mid-day meal helpers should get pay on par with that of Punjab. Unemployed youth in the state should be paid unemployment allowance as promised by the Congress in its manifesto, they added. |
|
Dept removes encroachment from forest land
Nurpur, February 22 A team of forest division, Nurpur, led by Range Officer Rajneesh Mahajan, yesterday demolished two houses with slate roofs at Hatli-Ther village. It also vacated 30 kanals of forest land in the same village on which the encroacher had been farming. According to information, the DFO-cum-Collector passed eviction orders against 548 encroachers under the HP Public Premises Act, 1971. The department had evicted forest land possession in 483 cases by October 31 last year. Sanjey Sen, DFO, Nurpur, said the HC had rescheduled the deadline by March this year. — OC |
|
Kol Dam oustees continue protest
Harnoda (Bilaspur), February 22 The oustees from Kasol, Jamthal, Harnoda, Kian and Nehar in Bilaspur district, continued their dharna at the project site at Harnoda for the 10th day today despite rain. Work on the project remained suspended as the NTPC management failed to resolve the issue. “We have no option but to continue the strike as neither the district administration nor the NTPC has come forward to assure us,” said Salig Ram. “The NPTC has paid the highest price to the oustees even for barren land. They have a never-ending series of demands, which is not less than loot,” said a district official. Mandi: Over 70 oustees submitted a memorandum to DC Devesh Kumar on Friday. They demanded that all houses in the 646-ft danger zone be acquired as those were unsafe. They also wanted to be given land ownership rights of the plots allotted to them at the NTPC Colony. The DC said whether or not the NTPC went by the terms and conditions of the memo of understanding would be decided at the government level. Kol Dam project GM AK Nanda did not respond to repeated calls. |
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Shimla, February 22
Illegal mining is continuing in rivulets of Una district due to demand from Punjab where mining has been banned after a High Court order. Though leaders of the ruling party have been issuing statements for stopping illegal mining, sources here say that the lure of easy money is driving many into the trade.
